becoming-cartoon

young Sadmanbarty has a whole theory about these sprite-like goblin-voiced dancehall singers, to do with digital technology and identity-morphing and transhumanity - the schizo-Gothic proliferation of personae and mask-selves.









i always finds these tunes insanely compelling the first time i listen but for some reason (same goes for Vybz, for Popcaan, for Alkaline) i don't go back to them - whereas the autotuned Afrobeat or mumble rap is much more repeat-listenable... perhaps it's just because the dancehall stuff is so full on, always going for the listener's jugular, the personality-level volume-knob's always pitched to 11

also find the beats in today's dancehall often seem to have a curiously muffled quality, so glossed up and digi-sheened and hi-def huge in girth, it's like there's a blanket of dazzle smothering them